It’s Mighty Uke Day in Old Town, Lansing! And this festival demonstrates a reoccurring theme of my blog: music’s true power is it’s ability to bring a community together.
Today’s event dedicated to the small, four-stringed instrument isn’t just for the ukulele fanatic. Nope, it’s also for those of you who don’t play music but always wish you did. It’s for the person who is wishing he or she had a new hobby, the person who is feeling down in the dumps and needs some new inspiration, the person who feels creativity perculating inside themselves but needs an outlet. Who would have guessed you simply needed a small uke to fill the soul?
Plus the mighty uke might be the perfect instrument: Because of its lighter strings, the uke is easier on the hands than the guitar, and much cheaper too! Also, a uke doesn’t take up storage room. Just get rid of that tennis raquet you haven’t used in years!
So strap on those shoes, hop in your car, and travel down I-96 or I-69 to visit historic Old Town Lansing. (PS: I love Old Town!) With Elderly’s Music offering a free uke lesson at noon, there’s no better time to start playing a musical instrument than now!
My duo partner Hannah Fralick makes a ukulele sound pretty with this song she wrote:
Mighty Uke Day’Facebook Pages: http://www.facebook.com/mightyukeday
Anne Erickson’s LSJ article about the festival: http://bit.ly/mpGYS0
Taxi offered this tip: When recording, always have alternative mix versions on file:
- One without vocals
- One without the lead guitar
It’s good to have instrumental versions of songs in case a movie or TV placement need something special from the track. One needs to be ready for all situations at all times. Be prepared!
I recently survived the anxiety-filled experience of shopping for the perfect engagement ring. I’ll admit, ring shopping was surprisingly less stressful than I first anticipated. However, one jewelry store from a neighboring town made me regret giving them my contact information. Here were their three strikes:
1. Having pushy staff who pressured me to buy a ring $1000 out of my budget. (Seriously, I said I was a teacher and musician. Get real!)
2. Leaving multiple voice messages asking, “Are you still looking for a ring?” (Nat has a funny story to share about my handling of their call while she was in the car. She asked, “Who was that?” I said, “PBS asking for a donation.”)
3. Snail mailing me advertisements and generic thank you letters for visiting their store. (One ad was waiting in my mailbox the day Natalie and I returned from our trip to San Francisco where I proposed. Wait, I said I was getting engaged. This is a secret! Don’t you think my girlfriend might find mail from a jewelry store suspicious?)
Anyways, I emailed the store to tell them that I had found a ring elsewhere, and I wasn’t interested in the ones they showed me. AKA, stop contacting me. So what does the store do? Sign me up to their mailing list!
OK, this is a big no-no in the D-I-Y musician handbook, and I think it’s worth restating: Don’t sign someone up someone to your mailing list, unless they have requested to be on your mailing list. It’s that simple.
Or not. People and companies break this rule all the time:
I like how Mailchimp has some safeguards to protect those added to mailing lists.
Example 1: I was hired by a local nonprofit to play their event. I emailed them about the business of my contract work, and then they added me to their mailing list without permission. (Boo!)
Example 2: I emailed a company with questions about their services. They automatically added me to their mailing list. (Boo, and boo!)
Example 3: I email a complaint about a company’s services. Boom! On their emailing list! (Triple boo! That one was really annoying.)
Example 4: I emailed a local band to see if they wanted to share gigs. Immediately, they added my email to their mailing list. (Boo. Boo. Boo. Boo!)
One thing the band didn’t know was I use a separate email for mailing lists. I had already signed up that account!
Oh, here’s another no-no:
1. Don’t gather all of your Facebook friends’ emails listed on their personal pages and add them to your mailing list.
In conclusion, Email = one’s time. Bands need to respect that just as much as companies. Don’t abuse people’s time. If people do sign-up for your mailing list (and I think there will be less people willing to now-a-days) don’t go overboard. You should only send out one email a month at most. Group small announcements together in one newsletter. Oh, you have a local booking at the bar down the street? That’s probably not worth it’s own email. Wrote a new blog? Nope. That neither. Have a collection of songs being released with a free download opportunity and tour upcoming? OK, that constitute an email.
(PS: You can sign up for my new newsletter on the right!)
Dave Cool’s Free Book: Attending Music Conf 101
Brian Franke, singer-songwriter from Washington, DC, shared a cool, free digital book with his Twitter followers today: Dave Cool’s: Attending Music Conferences 101.
One quote jumped out at me immediately:
“Another extremely important thing to do is to be sure that your best
songs are featured in a place that is easy for people to find and listen
to. Not download. Not purchase. Simply listen to. One reason that
many bookers still check an artist’s MySpace page is because it is just
easier to find the artist’s music to listen to. Often artist websites have
all sorts of bells and whistles and fancy design, and the last thing a
booker wants to do is spend 5 minutes trying to find where they can
listen to the artist’s music.” (Cool 3)
Absolutely. This applies to gaining new fans who check out your website!
Ways Musicians Can Cope with Gas Prices
The Detroit Free Press asked a question on Twitter today that is on all musicians’ minds:
Honestly, gas prices are already on my mind. Musicians have to drive everywhere! Rehearsals, gigs, studios, photo shoots–driving is a necessity. Plus, I need a car that’s large enough to carry my equipment. (AKA, I’m not going to be able to drive a new Ford Fiesta with great gas milage and bring my speakers!) What ways are you using to cut gas prices? I’ve had to figure out simple ways to diminish the strain on my profits as a musician. Here are a few:
1. Scheduling rehearsals on drive homes from other things
Example: I’ve started a duo with Hannah Fralick, and we’ve been scheduling our practices after our day-jobs end. We meet at a central location (Hannah’s music studio where she teaches), which I already pass by on my way home from work. This way, neither of us are adding milage to our weeks to practice.
Problem: Sometimes I get out at work three hours before Hannah does! Yep, you find me tutoring after school or grading papers in my classroom waiting sometimes. We have Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday which last to 7:30, and I’ll be driving to rehearsal that evening too.
Some of us like carpooling more than others!
2. Carpooling to gigs, rehearsals, events
Yeah, this is a no-brainer, but it can be the most effective way to share costs.
3. Using Costco card/Credit card 1% plans
I’m seeing less gas stations offer lower prices for paying in cash, so I try to use my WMU Visa Card (which gives 1% back) and my “no fees” Costco American Express Card which does the same. Let’s note, I use a credit card for cash I have. (I don’t buy things I can’t afford.) Why not get a little money back at the end of the year?
4. Embracing my local shops!
Natalie and I are planning our weekends more closely. Living in Downtown Howell allows us some opportunities to walk. We shop at the local Howell Market and will buy at the Farmer’s Markets in the summer. We share the driving on the weekends to other stores in one fell swoop. We find ourselves going out less, but that might be caused by our self-employment responsibilities too. (Nat’s writing gigs, my music gigs).
5. Budgeting Consistently
Making coffee rather than buying it. Choosing black coffee vs. pricer lattes at Uptown Coffeehouse. Cooking at home rather than eating out. Natalie and I have identified the places in our budget we splurge, and we make educated choices when we should.
Gig mileage = Gas Expenses!
6. Being prepared for those (un)expected events!
Relative’s birthday gifts. Mother’s Day. That trip to Bay City to visit family for Easter… These are things that one shouldn’t have to say, “Oh, I can’t do that because of gas prices.” Instead, Natalie and I are looking a month or two ahead of time to know when that event will be expected, and making better choices before we get there. (See #5)
7. Condensing multiple drives into one trip
So I’ve got a gig in Brighton at Stout and I need to buy extra strings at the Music Man shop. Yep! I’m leaving for my gigs an hour earlier to share my errands.
Gunshy says, “Jeez, my Mike drives so slowly, I could run faster than this!”
8. Driving more slowly to and from work
I hate to admit it, but I find myself driving 60 mpr home south on I-23 after school. Yep. I’m the turtle you are passing on the freeway. I’m just trying to save an extra dollar per drive home. My Ford Escape gets best gas milage at 60 MPR, so I leave about 15 minutes earlier to avoid rushing to work or gigs.
Free Press Article: How high do gas prices have to go before you change your lifestyle?
